Strap construction



Nov. 26, 1940. w. ROSENTHAL' ET AL 2,222,537

' STRAP CONSTRUCTION Original Filed May 8, 1956 J if 4 24 if 62/ f M Saw/s v4.45 THElR ATTO RN EY,

Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STRAP CQNSTRUOTION William Rosenthal, New York, and Charles M. .Sachs, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors to Maiden Form Brassiere Company, Inc.

Serial No. 185,134

3 Claims.

This application is a division of our joint application, Serial No. '78,598,filed May 8, 1936, which, after having been co-pending for a time with this application did mature into U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,115,397 on April 26, 1938, and which last named application is a companion to the sole application of William Rosenthal, Serial No. 78,599, also filed May 8, 1936, which, after also having been co-pending for a time with this application did mature into U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,115,398 on April 26, 1938,

This invention relates broadly to a new strap construction.

One of the objects of this invention is the creation of a strap construction which, although generally advantageous, is peculiarly of value in a brassiere which is adapted to support the bust in natural position.

Another object of this invention is the creation of a strap construction which, although generally advantageous, is peculiarly of value in a brassire having the constructional elements thereof so arranged, located, associated and combined that the breasts of the wearer thereof, by virtue of the employment of the brassire, are uplifted to a. predetermined degree and firmly and comfortably supported in a natural uplifted position.

Another object of this invention is the creation of a highly advantageous strap construction for a breast supporting garment embodying adjustable means for uplifting and supporting the wearers breasts.

Another object of this invention is the creation of a strap construction of great value when employed in a brassiere embodying means whereby each of the wearers breasts is individually supported and uplifted by both of the shoulders of the wearer.

Another object of this invention is the creation of a strap construction adapted to advantageous employment in a brassire having within each breast receiving pocket thereof a relatively free and adjustable sling-like element adapted to under-breast contact for the purpose of supporting and uplifting the wearers breasts.

A further object of this invention is the creation of a valuable strap construction for a brassiere, which brassiere includes novel internal adjustable breast supporting and uplifting elements.

wherein each shoulder strap may be adjusted or completely disengaged at one end thereof.

A still further object of this invention is the creation of a strap construction which, although generally advantageous, is peculiarly of value in a brassiere providing desired breast uplift and support, and which construction is adapted to ready manufacture in quantity, and is strong and durable although soft, comfortable and easy to use and wear.

A still further object of this invention is the creation of a novel adjustable strap construction including a novel pair of strap elements, one of which is adapted to detachable engagement with a selected length of the other, and also including novel means providing fine adjustment in resultant effective strap length upon engagement being effected between said strap elements.

These and many other object. are secured by the brassiere construction herein disclosed. Various other objects and advantages of the invention than those hereinabove specifically mentioned will appear more fully hereinafter. It is to be understood, that the specific form or forms shown are merely illustrative and hence the detailed description thereof is not to be taken as limiting the invention itself.

This invention resides substantially in the parts as well as the combination, construction, arrangement and relative location of parts, all as will appear more fully hereinafter.

Referring to the drawing, in which the same reference numerals are used throughout the several views to indicate the same or similar parts, it will be found that:

Fig. 1 represents a rear elevational view of abrassiere employing the novel principles of our construction shown as spread out and with the back straps disengaged from each other and with the shoulder straps disengaged at their forward ends;

Fig. 2 represents a front elevational view thereof;

Fig. 3 represents a rear perspective view of a brassiere employing our novel construction, said brassire being shown in wearing position; and

Fig. 4 represents a sectional view, taken alongv the section line 4-4 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

As is well known, the trend in present day womens styles is towards accentuation of the natural breast and body lines so as to emphasize the inherent beauty in the natural curves of the well developed human form, while providing a high degree of comfort and freedom of natural movement.

Some women find that their bust line is not suiiiciently accentuated and outstanding to accord with present day styles because their breasts although of ample proportions are pendulous.

Other women having the desired configuration of bust line find that they are often in serious 10 danger of losing the same for one reason or another such, for example, as because of lactation, abnormalities and the like. Women such as these run the risk of finding themselves outmoded, out of step with current fashion and fre- 16 quently unable to wear and make use of current styles, particularly of outer wearing apparel.

Besides the foregoing it is also readily apparent that solely as a matter of health and well being, and quite apart from all considerations M of style and/or women's figures, it is imperative that women generally wear such breast supporting garments as will provide the uplift and support necessary to prevent undue strain (such as might be occasioned by exercise, strains or I even the continual weight of the breasts themselves) which might result in a permanent stretch and distortion of the delicate breast tissues; and that proper and adequate support and uplift be employed at all times as a safeguard N and means for retaining and conserving the natural and youthful configuration of the bust lines.

Considerable difficulty has, in the past, been encountered in the creation of brassieres which i would provide ready means whereby the desired necessary support and uplift could be adjustably arranged for by the wearer, to meet the wearers requirements; and a good part of this difficulty has been due to lack, among other things, of

a advantageous strap constructions for the garments.

It is the purpose of this invention, therefore, to provide a novel strap construction which, although generally advantageous, when suitably a employed in a brassiere will be of material aid in overcoming the aforementioned difiiculty. Since, as aforementioned, this application is a division of our parent application Serial No. 78,598, filed May 8, 1936, which parent application on April 26, 1938, matured into United States Letters Patent No. 2,115,397, we will hereinafter, as a matter of convenience, describe and illustrate our novel strap construction in connection with the brassiere construction disclosed and covered in u and by said Letters Patent. Thus, we hereinafter describe said strap construction as used, for example, in our novel type of brassire of novel construction having the usual supporting and uplifting effect of the conventional breast receiving pockets enhanced by the embodiment of means whereby the desired necessary support and uplift is made available to the wearer. It is to be understood that our 'brassiere and strap construction are each easy to wear and use as well as u economical to manufacture.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be noted that we have shown at l and 2 two. breast receiving pockets joined together by the upper fabric element 3 and the lower elastic element 4,

10 which breast receiving pockets have attached to their respective free ends the back bands 5 and 6.

Attached to the free end of back band 6 is an elastic element 1 having secured at its free end the usual hook strip 8. Attached to the free u end of back band 5 is an elastic element 9 having secured at its free end an eye strip II, the eyes on which are adapted to engagement with the hooks on hook strip 8, and the fabric of which eye strip is extended to overlap and cover the hooks and eyes when engaged and separate the 5 same from the skin of the wearer of the garment.

Secured to back band 5 at its upper edge is an elastic element ii to the free end of which there is attached a shoulder strap l2, and secured to 10 back band 6 at its upper edge is a similar elastic element I3 attached to the free end of which is the shoulder strap l4. As shown, the other or free ends of shoulder straps l2 and H are folded back as shown at I! and as thus folded stitched along a plurality of parallel lines of stitch I6 running transversely of the fabric of the respective shoulder straps. As will be observed from an inspection of the drawing, such plurality of parallel lines of stitch I6 is effective to produce a plurality of successive parallel hook receiving channels Il. Although as illustratively shown in the drawing we preferably provide five of such hook receiving channels at the end of each of shoulder straps l2 and I, it should, however, be understood that if desired a greater or lesser number of such channels of appropriate width may be provided to yield a wider range of ad-,- justability as the needs of the occasion may require by an appropriate increase or decrease in the number of transverse lines of stitch I6 which are made transversely of the shoulder straps. Moreover, it will be observed that the employment of elastic elements ii and IS in conjunction with the channels I1, is efifective to provide for finer variation in effective shoulder strap length than might be possible by the employment of channels I! alone.

Turning now to the interior of the brassiere as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, it will be noted that fabric sling-like elements l8 and I! are secured in breast receiving pockets I and 2, respectively, along the line of Joinder of each of said pockets with its adjacent back band. In this connection attention is directed to Fig. 4 where there is illustratively shown the manner in which the fabric of one of the pockets, to wit: pocket 2, and the fabric of one of the back bands, to wit: back band 6, are joined to the fabric of one of the sling-like elements, to wit: the sling-like an element l8.

These sling-like elements I8 and II as shown are preferably formed with curved upper and lower edges and taper down in width towards the mid-length of the garment where they each terminate in a relatively straight side edge lying to one side of and at an angle to thegarments midlength.

Secured substantially in the center of the free end of each of elements I8 and I! are elongated 5o straps 20 and 2|, respectively, which are preferably of elasticv or like resilient material. As will appear from an inspection of the drawing these elements 20 and 2| are so arranged that they cross each other at substantially the mid-length of the garment behind the fabric element 3. It may be further noted that each of elements 20 and 2| after leaving the sling-like element I. or l9 to which it is attached passes through both tape elements 20, hereinafter more fully described and explained, and thereafter through an eye 24, which is preferably rectangular, of an element 25 having an integral hook portion 28, which hook portion is adapted to reception within and cooperation with a hook channel II in a correll sponding shoulder strap. It will be understood that slidable adjustability of the elements 25 on the elements 20 and 2|, respectively, is thus provided.

After passing through elements 25 it will be noted that the free end of element 20 is at 22 secured to substantially the highest point on the upper edge of pocket I and that the free end of element 2| is at 23 secured to substantially the highest point on the upper edge of pocket 2 A further inspection of the drawing will disclose that the edges of the pockets and back bands as shown are finished with tape 21 which is stitched to such edges. At each side of the fabric element 3 on the inside of the garment, however, there are provided tape elements 28 which are secured at their upper ends to the tape 21 on the upper edge of the respective garment pockets and at their lower ends by stitching 29 to the portion of the tape 21 running up from the lower edges of the respective garment pockets at the sides of fabric element 3. The tape elements 28 except for attachment at their upper and lowerends are otherwise free and not secured to the fabric of the pockets or element 3. These tape elements 28 are intended to confine and guide the elements 20 and 2| and, as will be observed, are so arranged that the elements 20 and 2i each passes through both elements 28 between said elements and the inner side of the fabric of the pockets i and 2 as well as connecting element 3. It maybe here again noted that the elements 20 and 2i while thus passing cross each other substantially between the tape elements 28, or at substantially the mid-length of the garment.

To maintain the free ends of each of the slinglike elements l8 and IS in relatively straight condition at all times and to prevent crumpling of the fabric thereof either during use of the garment or laundering thereof, the edges of such elements prior to being stitched to the elements 20 and 2 I, respectively, preferably are folded over back upon themselves and stitched to enclose in a fabric channel thus created a resilient stiffening rib 39 of whale-bone or other suitable material.

It should be noted that although we have shown each of pockets I and 2 as individually made of two pieces of irregularly shaped fabric joined together by decorative open-work stitching or so-called fagoting, that since the breast receiving pockets may be otherwise satisfactorily constructed and the present invention employed with equal effect and advantage irrespective of the construction of pockets to produce desired fullness, that we do not, therefore, intend that the present invention be taken to be in any way limited in its use and application to any particular pocket construction or size. Moreover, it should be further understood that the present invention may be employed with equal effect and advantage not only in connection'with brassires of the length illustratively shown in the drawing,

but also in connection with brassires of the so- In this connection it will beunderstood that a woman desiring the advantages of proper uplift and support will naturally select and purchase a proper sized brassire which will be constructed to afford her a desired range of adjustability.

As is customary, the brassire is secured by the wearer about her body so that the left breast is received in pocket I and the right breast in pocket 2.

The sling-like elements l8 and '9 are then preferably arranged so that the inner-most sides thereof, to wit: the sides thereof not facing the fabric of pockets I and 2, respectively, come under each individual breast which contacts therewith so that each of the wearer's breasts rest upon a sling-like element. The wearer having secured the brassiere about her body in the fashion described, will then bring shoulder strap |4 over her right shoulder and shoulder strap.l2 over her left shoulder and by passing the hook portions 26 of the elements 25 through successive hook channels I? at the ends of the shoulder straps, will adjust the garment so as to provide herself with the desired necessary breast uplift and support and will, of course, leave the, hook portions 26 of elements 25 in such hook channels l1 as provide the desired degree of uplift and support.

In this connection it should be noted that the upward pull provided by each shoulder strap is at the eyes 24 of elements 25 divided into two generally upward pulls, to wit: shoulder strap l4 exerts an upward pull on the upper edge of pocket 2 tending to support and raise the wearer's right breast and via the portion of element 2! running from sling-like element l8 to eye 24 of the right element 25 a diagonally upward pull on sling-like element l8 towards the right tending to raise and uplift the left breast carried thereon. Similarly shoulder strap i2 exerts an upward pull on the upper edge of pocket I tending to support and raise the wearers left breast and via the portion of element 20 running from sling-like element L) to eye 24 of the left element 25 a diagonally upward pull on sling-like element l9 towards the left, tending to raise and uplift the right breast carried thereon.

It is, of course, to be understood that the upward pull exerted by shoulder strap M on the upper edge of pocket 2 and the upward pull exerted by shoulder strap l2 on the upper edge of pocket I is transmitted in each case to the given pocket upper edge via the portion of the element 2i and 20, respectively, running from the particular pocket upper edge to the eye 24 of the particular element 25, as the case may be.

Thus it will be observed that each shoulder contributes to the support of both breasts and that each breast is supported by both shoulders. Moreover, it will be further observed that the degree of uplift and support may be adjustably determined to meet the convenience and requirements of the wearer of the garment and that if required, the wearer can arrange for equal or unequal pull of the shoulder straps. In this connection it is, of course, preferable to arrange for equal support of both breasts, but, of course, abnormalities and lack of figures symmetry may necessitate, in an individual case, unequal support. It should further be understood that due to the fact that shoulder straps i2 and I4 are connected to elastic elements ii and I3, and have the plurality of hook channels l1, and due to the further fact that elements 20 and 2| are preferably of elastic, a relatively wide range of ada compression or distortion of the wearers breasts,

but rather to the contrary, is effective to provide the desired necessary and proper uplift and support essential to the creation and/or conservation of a pleasing bust configuration.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the invention we have herein disclosed incorporates many features which are possible-of general or varied adaptation inbrassieres and other breast supporting garments or devices generally, such as bandeaux. combination garments, surgical appliances and the like. Furthermore, it is conceivable that materials other than those wehave mentioned as preferable might be employed in place of those we have mentioned with equal result. Still further, we, are, of course, aware that many changes in the details of construction and relative arrangements of parts will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, we do not, therefore, desire to be limited to the exact details herein set forth by way of illustration, but rather to the spirit and scope of our invention ,as we define it in the appended claims.

What we seek to secure by and claim for United other and folded back and stitched to provide a plurality of hook receiving channels in a selected one of which the aforementioned hook may be received, whereby the first mentioned strap element may be adiustably engaged with a selected length of the second mentioned strap element.

2. In a strap construction adapted to hold a garment upon a wearer's body, a resilient strap element the ends of which are adapted to securement to the garment at spaced apart points on one side of the wearer's body, a hook carried by said strap element between the ends thereof, a second srap element having a resilient portion, and adapted to connection at one end to the garment on the other side of the wearers body. and having a portion adjacent the other end folded back and stitched to provide a plurality of hook receiving channels in a selected one of which the aforementioned hook may be received, whereby the first mentioned strap element may be adjustably engaged with a selected length of the second mentioned strap element.

3. In a garment strap construction adapted to secure a-garment upon a wearers body, a hook, a resilient member adapted to Join said hook to the garment, a strap element having a portion adiaoent one end thereof folded back and stitched to provide a plurality of hook receiving channels in a selected one of which the aforementioned hook may be received, whereby said hook may be adiustably engaged with a selected length of said strap element, said strap element being resilient for at least a portion of its length, and

means adapted to Join the other end of said strap element to the garment at a position spaced apart from the position thereon where the aforementioned hook is adapted to be joined.

, WILLIAM ROSENTHAL.

CHARLES M. SACHS. 

